The Pocket Notebook

The first Field Notes I used was the Coastal Edition. It was on that same day that I tried the Signature Edition, too. So that should tell you something about my experience with Field Notes. I have been following the brand for a while, but I do not intend to collect all (or even some) of their limited edition notebooks.

So my thoughts on this notebook are in the context of pocket notebooks in general rather than another Field Notes edition. Unlike the Coastal and Expedition editions (which I bought for the beautiful cover and the unique paper, respectively), this notebook was purchased for its functionality. And unlike the other two editions, this is a part of their regular line-up.

You see, I have this habit of carrying a notebook with me. All the time. Everywhere. My daily notebook is an A5 Nanami Seven Seas Writer. It is a fantastic notebook but it won’t fit in my jeans’ pocket (at least not in the pockets of the jeans I have). I carry the Writer in a Lihit Lab case. I carry the case in a backpack. Hence, I always go out with a backpack. Yes.

Lihit Lab Smart Fit, Nanami Seven Seas with a Kaweco Sticker.

Why don’t I carry a smaller notebook in my pocket? A6?

It’s.. too restrictive. Don’t let this mislead you into thinking that it restricts my exceptional artistic endeavours. I just find it uncomfortable to write in such a small format. I guess my ‘fairly large hands‘ make it harder.

An A6 notebook is OK for quick notes and small lists but sometimes you just feel like writing something or doing something not-so-exceptionally artistic. It gets annoying.

Top to bottom : Expedition, Coastal, Signature

Enter Field Notes Signature. This is based on the Dime Novel which was extremely popular among the Field Nuts, so, Field Notes decided to make it a part of their regular series.

This notebook fits my pocket but awkwardly peeks out sometimes. I can live with that.

Hey.

You get to pick between lined or blank pages, and while I usually go for lined pages, I decided it’s time to get used to blank pages – more artistic freedom. But I also feel that somehow this format/size works better with blank pages. I cannot explain it. So far I haven’t cursed at the.. blankness of the page, so I guess it’s going fine.

The Signature Edition uses heavier paper (Strathmore Premium Wove, 70#T), which means you can now use more than just ballpoints and pencils – even fountain pens!

There’s some feathering but I don’t really mind it. This is a very wet nib.

Heavier pages and a durable cover means you won’t really need a cover for this notebook and that makes things even more comfortable. Field Notes in general is known to make good quality products and this is no exception. This 72 page notebook should easily survive the depths of your pockets at least for a few weeks. Except when you wash your trousers with the notebook in the pockets. The Expedition Edition could survive that. Yay?

This is nice. Every FN notebook has this.

This notebook will be seeing a good amount of use and I’m glad that it isn’t a special/limited edition so I don’t have to hoard every single notebook ever made (and that’s left).